New Delhi: Bollywood icon Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has approached the Delhi High Court, seeking urgent intervention against the misuse of her identity through AI-generated explicit content circulating online. The petition, filed on Tuesday, calls for strong legal protection of her publicity and personality rights, amid a growing global concern over the misuse of artificial intelligence in creating deepfake pornography.
Appearing on Rai’s behalf, Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi argued that the unauthorized use of her name, likeness, and digitally manipulated images was not only an invasion of privacy but also a gross violation of her dignity and public image.
“There is no legal justification for anyone to exploit her persona,” said Sethi. “Fictitious and obscene content is being spread online with her face morphed onto it. It is not just illegal, it is dehumanizing.”
Court Responds with Interim Relief
Presiding over the matter, Justice Tejas Karia orally indicated that an ad-interim order would likely be issued to caution and restrain the identified parties from continuing such activities.
The court took note of the urgent need to curb the spread of such content, especially given the viral nature of AI-generated media and the severe reputational harm it can cause public figures.
While no formal written order has been issued yet, Justice Karia’s oral observations suggest a strong inclination to protect celebrity image rights in the evolving digital landscape.
Deepfake Abuse and Public Figures
Rai, a former Miss World and internationally acclaimed actress, is among a growing list of celebrities targeted by deepfake pornography — a disturbing trend where AI is used to fabricate sexually explicit material featuring faces of real individuals, typically without consent.
Her legal team, also represented by advocates Pravin Anand and Dhruv Anand, stressed that the manipulation of her image to fulfill “someone’s sexual fantasies” was not only defamatory but criminal.
“A person is collecting money by simply putting her face and name out there,” Sethi informed the court. “This is identity theft dressed up as technology.”
Case to Continue in the Coming Months
The matter is now scheduled for further proceedings before the joint registrar on November 7, and for the next court hearing on January 15, 2026.
While Indian courts have previously dealt with cases of identity misuse and online defamation, this case could set a significant precedent in legal protections against AI-generated content, especially in cases involving public personalities.
